Sweet Song ABC
by Shinneth
Summary: In order to show Izumi how he feels, Junpei undergoes rigorous cooking tasks to prove his worth. Of course, his friends are there to help him.. whether he wants them to or not. [Junpei x Izumi]


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[Notes:

Well well well. Just what the hell is this, you might ask? Where's chapter 6 of BMD? Where's chapter 5 of GV? Is Shin just pissing off everyone even more by abandoning her projects while they're going strong? XD

Um, nah. I actually have a good whiny excuse as to why my writing's been so very slow lately. You can guess that this fic also helped the slowness, but in all honesty, I _really_ wrote this as a short story project for school. I didn't feel like emotionally scarring my English teacher by giving him a shounen-ai short story (I had too much fun doing such things last year, my school's full of homophobes, what can I do about it?), so I decided to make a story focusing on a heterosexual pairing for once! However, it took a good mind-frying to actually come out with a decent plot for this. I usually need time to make really great plots… and this fic was entirely conceived in just a couple of weeks based on an idea I had just a couple of days before I started writing. And let's not forget how much I rushed this!

It was either this, a Jyoumi fic, or a Jenjuri friendship fic. I had the most stable-grounded idea for the Junzumi fic, so I went with that. Plus, Jyoumi's already a decently-liked pairing, and I'll be focusing plenty enough on some form of Jenjuri content in BMD. And I knew all along that Junpei would be neglected because he's the cynical fat guy. But for that very reason, I think he's the bomb. Junpei's been my new god for like, months now. XD So I was happy to write a fic centering him. And Junzumi's pretty much my favorite pairing in Frontier, even though you might have THOUGHT it was Takouji. Actually… Takouji doesn't interest me too terribly much. I SEE it, it's THERE, and I think it SHOULD be there, but… yeah. I had issues with Frontier. Plus I haven't seen many of the very recent episodes, so there might be a lot of OOCness though I can't exactly know it well enough to tell you where. I've… seen quite many of the earlier episodes, though. So the only one that is probably totally dead-off might be Kouichi, because I've seen very little of him in action, really. Since I was trying to NOT scare the living daylights out of my teacher, I left Kouichi without his hideously scary brother complex. Plus, since I was pretending that this fic was really an original story, I had to neglect almost anything that happened in the TV series, although I still vaguely referenced to the happenings, and I was able to ADD a clear reference near the end, so I'm somewhat-happy now. 

Um… yes. I guess you'll have to view this as an AU. Assuming the mentioned family members of each character are intact, and for some scary reason they all live in the same neighborhood, and… yeah. I hope it's not too much to deal with. ^^; And the title of this fic is based off a song called _Sweet Song ABC_ of course, which is from… Ojamajo Doremi, the third season to be exact. Do I have a life? Nooo… but it's a fun song. And you should listen to it, or else I'm going to plague you in your nightmares with visions of Drunk the Walrus, one of my cousin's maniacal creations. 

And I rambled too much. Just enjoy it already, you poor deprived Junzumi fan-people. Remember! Kouzumi is pure, black EVIL! And Takumi is bleh.]

Okay, it's been a few years now, and I think I can verify that being in love with somebody can quite possibly be the worst thing in the entire world. Sure, it makes you feel all warm and giggly inside… yes, it gives you that wonderful feeling that fills that void of loneliness in your heart that you've had all your life, and true, it's a perfectly natural occurrence in a human being and it's essential to the progression of our race as we know it.

But when you're a lowly teenager with no assurance that this love will never be mutually fulfilled, being in love really sucks. 

I also can confirm something else; cooking is _nowhere_ near as fun as eating. I'd know it more than anyone, because eating happens to be one of my favorite hobbies. I kind of suffered a bit physically from that, though… now any old schmuck can spot Junpei Shibayama out on the street. Who could possibly miss a giant fat blob? And furthermore, who would want to date one?

So you're probably wondering what a hunk of lard like me is doing, sitting here in the kitchen **cooking** when I could easily just have my own mother do it. But it's not like it isn't drastically obvious already. I'm standing here, over the counter, in my mom's frilly pink apron, making _chocolate!_

What for, you might wonder? Or not. It's _obvious_. A girl. I was slaving over a hot stove for a GIRL!

But not just any girl, oh no…

"Remember dear, I don't want you to stain my apron! And if you break any of my appliances, you _will_ pay to replace them!"

And I just love how my mother cares for her precious appliances like they were her own children. "I'm being careful, mom!" It wasn't like I was a total idiot when it came to cooking…

"Just let me know if you're having trouble with anything!"

I just quietly grumbled back as I continued mixing assorted ingredients into the giant bowl I've been holding for, like… forever. Believe it or not, I was making my own homemade chocolate. And just now I was learning that making it from scratch was not in the least pleasing… even _if_ I was making it solely for someone I've been helplessly in love with for a few years. Even love can't prevent my arm from going mindnumblingly sore after stirring this sticky, rich brown concoction a million times. 

Heaving out a labored sigh, I ceased the stirring and let the bowl fall back onto the counter, letting my arms fall right after it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea… just because I was a good eater didn't mean I was anywhere in the leagues of the Iron Chefs. What if this chocolate ended up being poisonous or something? Why didn't I just BUY chocolate and claim it's homemade?

Oh. Right. Takuya had tried the very same scam already. And he crashed and burned in utter failure. As much as I eat, I can easily tell the difference between bought chocolate and the homemade kind… but girls? The ones paranoid of eating even a little bit a chocolate? And Izumi Orimoto would be any different? 

Well… I guess I wouldn't be surprised… Izumi's a very talented individual. A very likable one, too. She was always able to be good friends with everyone… even me, despite my first shameless attempts to hit on her the first year we started hanging out. Back then, she didn't respond to them so well… and by now I know it was a pretty foolhardy thing of me to do. But over time, we did end up getting along… and we became great friends. 

I guess in some ways you could consider her my best friend. I've never gotten along with any of my friends nearly as well as I have with Izumi. That's why keeping that friendship intact is so important to me… I didn't realize that back when we first met. I'm lucky to have her as a friend now. And now that I've learned how to act more mature, I had a great desire to prove that to Izumi. I wanted to show her that I _would_ make a good companion for her… I'd never leave her side no matter what. And I guess I'd be good for making company when she lacked it otherwise… Izumi's socially dependent like that. Maybe I could show her some of the good things of having your own personal time… unless she knew that already. 

Oh, who am I kidding? Just what am I worth to her, anyway? I'm not going to be rude and just ask her that. I'm going to finish making this chocolate, I'm going to GIVE it to her, and then I'll see how she reacts to it…

But what if she _does_ think I cheated out and just bought some instead? She especially knows that I keep hordes of chocolate stashed all over my room and in practically every piece of clothing I wear. Maybe I should've made a chocolate cake instead… and WHY did I have to make _chocolate_? I just realized that chocolate **anything** could just as well be from a store!!

"Damn you!!" I randomly shouted at my bowl of… not-quite chocolate. Honestly, it looked more like mud. 

"Honey, what did I say about using that language in the house?!"

"Whatever!" I shouted back, as vulgarity was NOT on my priority list of _caring_ right now. "Mom, you wouldn't happen to have any cake mix ingredients, would you?"

Oops. Why did I say that? I was supposed to make everything from scratch! Cake shouldn't be any different…! It'd be sad to break my own rule now, after making homemade chocolate, brownies, cookies, pudding…

My mother just then entered the kitchen, most likely tired of shouting at me from across the room.

"Probably somewhere, yes," she answered with a tone of uncertainty. "But Junpei, dear, you've been in the kitchen since early this morning. When are you going to take a break and go outside to see your friends?"

"I'll get around to it later," I promised, even if I wasn't set on fulfilling it. "These sweets don't bake by themselves, you know."

"Are you sure you don't want me to take over for you?" Mom inquired, seemingly concerned. "You've never made your own meals before…"

I just smiled as I resumed stirring my chocolate, looking as calm and collected as I could. "I've watched you make things all the time when I was a kid, remember? Besides, I'm not eating this stuff. It's for my… Cooking Club's bake sale!"

My mom just stared at me. "You never told me you joined the cooking club."

"Yeah, well, life's full of surprises! Now you know! So, um… how about buying me some more eggs and flour, mom?"

"How about taking some time off to have fun with your friends?" Mother asked, sounding annoyed. "They've been calling you all day and I'm tired of having to make up excuses for them."

I rolled my eyes; this conversation was becoming grating on my nerves already. Baking things all day will do that to you. "Invite them over or something, I don't care. But I _seriously_ need more ingredients, mom! I'm nowhere near done with this!"

Mother surrendered with a sigh and promptly walked off. "If it makes you happy, I'll do it. Just try not to overwork yourself."

As usual, I didn't reply to her goodbye. I had to focus on exercising my abilities on every possible sweet known to man. How would I know about everything Izumi liked and didn't like, anyway? There was no time to waste. Sweets were best eaten fresh, and Izumi deserves nothing but the best! Her sweet personality… she always treated me like a very dear friend. I'm not worthy of giving her anything less than oven-fresh desserts!

I just wish I had gone into this process with a more open mind… plain old chocolate… what was I thinking? I could've made her a sweet apple pie instead… did she even like apples?

Maybe a surprise biscuit… maybe not… well, perhaps a moist cream puff? Who could not like that? …Duh, Junpei, people who don't like cream or puffs or cream puffs… or things that are moist…

I decided to list these things down while I was ahead in my thoughts. I had to let the chocolate settle for a while, anyway. Hm… doughnuts are really nice. Then again, for Izumi's affections, she deserves something more like a rich, robust éclair. Maybe my other friends knew what she liked best.

Izumi probably would rather date them over me, anyway…

"Yo, Junpei!" Oh no. Don't tell me they just invaded my house. "Hope you don't mind us letting ourselves in!"

Fearing the worst, I quickly took my mom's apron off and flung it to the side, and turned around. Hopefully, my ungodly huge body would hide the pile of sweets I had stacked up on the counter. Just as I was prepared to show myself, my friends were barging into my kitchen, practically making themselves at home.

"We just didn't feel like waiting outside anymore," my moody, dark-haired acquaintance named Kouji explained. "It's hot and sticky. And you have a lot of bugs roaming in your front porch."

"My mom doesn't believe in pest control," I replied sarcastically. "Please, guys, why don't you just kick off your shoes and lounge on my sofas while you're at it?"

Takuya, the spiky-haired brunette spoke up. "Sorry, Tomoki's scared to death of bees. Kouichi's allergic to them, I don't like them myself, Kouji just won't _admit_ he's scared of them, and they were all over the place outside."

"See, I get these giant sores all over my body when I get stung by even one bee," Kouichi explained. "I practically almost died once because of it. It really freaked my mom out."

I just laughed nervously. "No need to get into detail, Kouichi… I understand. Make yourselves comfortable. What did you need me for, anyway? Mom's been complaining at me, saying you were calling for me all day."

Tomoki, younger than the rest of us by a few years, was still therefore pretty much a shrimp in comparison to our group. He also seemed to have an undying passion for wearing big hats, even in the spring and summer, so that obviously plagued him with eternal hat hair. "First off, what's that smell, Junpei? Smells just like a bakery!"

"We've been wondering about it all day, that's kind of why we wanted to get ahold of you," Takuya explained. "You can practically smell it from a block away."

That I did _not_ know. "… Seriously?"

"Yeah," Kouji nodded along with his friends. "We tracked the scent all the way to your house, so we figured something big was going on with you. What's going on here?"

"Nothing, really," I lied, not really willing to let them in on my plans for Izumi, and it wasn't like the Home Ec excuse would make me look any better in front of them. "Mom's just being a lazy slob, so I decided to cook for myself for once. That's it!"

"Some lazy slob, huh," Kouichi repeated, clearly unconvinced. "She just left for the store to get some things for you." 

"I hate to break this to you," Takuya pointed out uneasily. "But if you're planning to eat **all** those desserts you made back there, you're probably bound to blimp out into the size of Russia."

Now how did he manage to see those…? "I'll just save some for later!"

"It's nice to share, Junpei!" Tomoki retorted, folding his arms, like he was trying to scold me or something. "Are you really gonna hold out on us?"

This was becoming ridiculous. What, was I going to have to share my love with my platonic FRIENDS, now? "I'll share it with you eventually, I promise! And Izumi too!"

"What, so _she'll_ blimp out to Russia-size, too?" Kouji snickered. "There's no way she'll eat that stuff."

Okay… I wasn't about to let Kouji's negative attitude spoil all of my hard work. "Don't underestimate the power of sweets, Kouji."

"Whatever," Kouji said, brushing the conversation off as he walked past me towards the counter, observing everything I've made so far. "You should at _least_ make something healthy to counter all the fattening things you made. Fruit parfaits, for example."

Now how in god's name am I going to make a parfait…?

"Or take it a step further," Kouichi suggested cheerfully. "And go with ginger cookies! They're proud!"

"Ah, forget that health crap!" Takuya whined. "You more than anyone else would know how awful it tastes, Junpei! I say go with hot cakes! Better yet, use McDonald's hot cakes!"

I am _not_ sinking as low as to steal desserts from fast food restaurants, thank you very much… "Well, I don't know. I'm not sure if I could even make half that stuff."

"Duh, that's why there's recipe books," Kouji reminded me. "Any idiot who can read can make these desserts. But if we're going to help you, you'd better give us some percentage of the food."

Good lord, _what have I gotten myself into?!_ "I… I'm sure I won't need help, guys! You just go on outside and… play! Or whatever it was you were doing before you got here!"

"We got tired of making faces at old people in nursing homes an hour ago," said Tomoki. "And anyway, I'm broke. If I can have sweets for free, I'll help you do anything! Even if you make something impossible, like ice cream!" … Yeah, Tomoki's favorite food WAS ice cream.

"I've still got money," said Kouichi. "I can buy jelly beans. Jelly Belly has like, a million different flavors and I can get a huge mixed bag for about a buck. Jelly beans make great toppings for certain things!"

"You guys really don't have to," I argued desperately. "You guys don't even like cooking! Don't you find it… well… girly?"

"And why hasn't that stopped you?" Takuya interjected, cleverly, for once. "We'll all give Izumi a big surprise when we show her what master chefs we are!"

"We're like the Iron Chefs!" Tomoki cheered. "Only we're better because we don't carve open those poor fish and gut them while they're alive!"

Were my own plans just being mauled and ruined before my eyes or what? How was I going to deny their help now…? "I… I guess, but—"

"But nothing," Kouji interrupted. "I'm a master at making Krispie Treats, and I'm willing to bet I could make better ones than any of you."

"Forget the Rice Krispies," Kouichi said with a smirk. "Let's go make lemon pie!"

I was definitely losing this battle… "Come on, guys," I pleaded, sincerely looking and acting tired. "I've been in here since early this morning cooking nonstop. After this chocolate, I think I'll clean up and quit for today…"

"Oh, no you don't!" Takuya pointed directly at me with a frown. "You're not quitting just because we got here!"

"I think he just wants to quit so he can keep all the desserts he made for himself," Kouji said accusingly. "You could've just told us that right off, Junpei, instead of pretending to be all innocent about it."

"Yeah, that's right, Kouji," I grumbled, growing highly impatient with this entire situation. "I'm just that much of a hog. I'll bake marshmallows all by myself and eat them _all_. Now can you leave me alone?"

"I was kidding," Kouji corrected with a sneer. "You really think we'd let you get away with all those deserts after we found you? Guess again. If your mom's this willing to get ingredients for us all, she could get us a lot of nougat so we can make a giant Milky Way bar. Imagine that, big guy."

"Why stop there?" Takuya inquired, snickering. "We could make endless amounts of Oreo dirt pie if we wanted to! Have I ever told you guys how much I love that stuff? I'd have it for breakfast, lunch AND dinner if I could!" 

It was becoming clear that my plan to impress Izumi through my cooking skills was going to flop in a matter of seconds. I never intended for this to be a group activity for a _good reason_. Like I'd ever tell them, though… it was Takuya and Kouji that I saw as my competition for her! Geez, for all I knew, maybe they were catching on to my scheme and were **intentionally** trying to mess it up… to their own advantage!

But I had to remember something: these guys were my friends. Sure, they were rude, immature, stuck-up pigs… but they were still always there for me when I needed them. Even if I had a hard time admitting that to myself. They might know I have a sad, hopeless crush on Izumi… they probably _do_ know. I'm almost sure of it. And I'm sure I'm not the only one after her, too. But no matter what kind of emotional obstacles we have to go through, I should've remembered that I'll always stick by my friends, because my friends are _forever_. Crushes and loves may come and go; there's no telling how long I may stay with Izumi if by some insane miracle I got to go out with her. But still… the thought of competing with my own friends was a bit unnerving. I don't think I could actually go through with something like that. Even if it is for Izumi. 

"It's been a while since I had pudding," Tomoki said tiredly. "I sure could go for some… you think Junpei's mom buys pudding mix?"

"Knowing Junpei, she probably has to restock the pudding mixes every three days," Takuya cackled. "No offense, man!"

"Very funny," I muttered, narrowing my eyes. "Just because of that, the only thing you guys are going to make with me is quince jam."

"Eww," Kouji, Takuya, and Tomoki all disapproved in unison, equally looking disgusted. 

"Can't!" Kouichi practically shouted out. "I'm allergic to jams!"

"You're allergic to everything," I complained, turning my back to the guys and started pouring out my stirred chocolate into a heart-shaped pan. It was a miracle that Takuya hadn't seen it yet. "Do you guys have any idea how hard it is to cook these things? I mean, you're listing off all these random desserts… but do any of you have an _inkling_ of a clue how to really make them?"

"Like I said," Kouji retorted. "Recipe books are more than enough to help us wing it through anything."

"It's not enough!" I argued back. "You have to really know what you're doing! If you think cooking is just putting bread in a toaster and taking it out, then you'd better just leave and let me do my work! You're wasting your time if you think cooking is all fun and games."

"Since when have you cooked before, Junpei?" Takuya asked me, looking a little taken aback at my outburst. 

"Never, really," I admitted. "That's why I'm so into it now… I'm gonna be a great cook! My heart's in it, and that's all you _really_ need to make the perfect desserts!"

Kouichi rose an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Not really," I said, scratching my head. "Kouji's got a point; a recipe book would probably help, too."

"This is a really big book," Tomoki commented, as somehow he had already snatched my own recipe book. "Lots of colors and pictures too… they even make raspberry tarts look yummy!"

Kouichi leaned over to where he could see the book as I just stared at my friends and their general oddness today. I still didn't understand why they were so gung-ho about _cooking_ of all things…

"You're just so biased against fruit, Tomoki. It wouldn't hurt to try more things like— ooh!" Kouichi's eyes seemed to sparkle as he pointed at something in the book, which I obviously couldn't see from my position. "Strawberry shortcake! Junpei, **please**, if we have to make just one thing, let it be that!"

Alternate plans were formulating in my head as the guys were picking out various things in my cookbook. I supposed it wouldn't hurt to LET them cook with me; I'd just separate my solely cooked sweets from the ones we all made together, and everything would be just fine. I hope I wouldn't screw up and lose track of what's mine and what's theirs, though…

"G'uh!" Takuya remarked. "Strawberries aren't even in season yet, Kouichi. You don't want to drive Junpei's family broke, now do you? We need to start off cheap and THEN move onto the expensive goodies. Why not go with something nice, oriental, and within our country culture? Like taiyaki?"

"Are you braindead or something?" Kouji asked. "What made you decide you're the master of knowing ingredient prices?! Do you even _like_ taiyaki?"

"It sounds like something good, but I honestly never had any myself. I was picky when I was little," Takuya said unassumingly. "Why do you ask?"

Kouichi smiled. "Does bean jam sound appetizing to you?"

There was a short pause, before Takuya started looking sick and greenish. "… EW. That sounds like PUKE."

I sighed and shook my head. "Takuya, if you didn't have any idea what taiyaki is, why should I feel good about you cooking in my kitchen?"

"My grandma said I can make a mean upside down cake this one time!" Takuya claimed proudly. "I almost destroyed her kitchen in the process, but it was SO much fun!"

"Did you even know you were _making_ an upside down cake?" Kouji asked, paranoid. "Maybe you should stick to the vanilla shakes."

"I agree," concurred Kouichi. "If you're going to cook with us, Takuya, you'd better let us monitor you. Why don't we start on something easy?"

"Waffles are easy," Tomoki suggested. "Even though it isn't breakfast time… it doesn't matter, does it, Junpei?"

"I guess not," I said, sighing. "Will you guys just… decide on something? I mean, it's good you guys are going into this with a lot of open-minded suggestions…" This was making me a little jealous, though. Why couldn't I have gone into this process with more variety foods in mind? "But it's no good to just list them and not pick anything to actually make."

"Well, if we can't make ice cream, can we make yogurt?" Tomoki asked. "They're kind of like the same thing, right?"

Takuya tsked, shook his head, and playfully grabbed at Tomoki's giant floppy hat. "And you guys are telling me I'm the retarded one when it comes to food! Sheesh!"

"What?" Tomoki was confused. "What did I say?"

Quickly, while everyone wasn't looking directly at what I was making, I shoved my heart-shaped pan of chocolate into the refrigerator to cool. "If you're set on making all that stuff, guys, maybe you're better off spending the night."

"A sleepover?" Takuya grinned. "Are you serious, Junpei? You've never invited us to spend the night before!"

"Well, things change, I guess," I said nervously, smiling. "Besides, it's gonna take you guys like three years to finish making all the things you said. You might as well stay over."

"All right!" Takuya cheered, punching into the air in triumph. "An all guys' night at Junpei's, everybody!"

"Like we're ever going to get to sleep," Kouji muttered. "I have a feeling we'll all be on perpetual sugar highs…"

"Yay, sugar highs!" Tomoki shouted enthusiastically. "Thanks a lot, Junpei!"

"Don't mention it," I insisted, slowly slinking away from the kitchen. "I'll just call everyone's parents, then… you know… to make sure it's okay and all…"

"They shouldn't have a problem with it," said Kouichi. "But yeah, thanks, Junpei!"

I slipped out of sight as quickly as I could.

I couldn't believe I just let my friends stay for the night. And Kouji was right; it was likely NO ONE would actually go to sleep tonight if they're really going to make a ton of sweets. They might not even go to sleep _tomorrow_ night… thank god I'm not viewed as a very nice person, because there was no way in hell that I'd invite them to stay another night. It was just a bit depressing that in all likelihood, Izumi was never going to return the feelings I had for her from the get-go. My friends probably wouldn't have anything to do with her decision; any idiot could see all the things wrong with me that'd make me unworthy of dating. 

Still… I did just go through the trouble of making several desserts just for Izumi. Giving up after all my hard work sounds like a pretty stupid thing to do. This was still a big risk I was taking, because it's just _too_ easy for Izumi to take my presents the wrong way, and then we'd never be friends again… but I figured it would be now or never. If I didn't express myself now, I was sure Takuya and Kouji would beat me to it in a split second. This wasn't something I was willing to live down if it ever happened. I had to view this as my one and only chance to spill my guts to Izumi once and for all. 

Everybody's parents were willing for a sleepover to take place, as I took the time to call them one at a time. And it was only a matter of time before everyone was running around in a sugar-injected craze… but I'll tell you something, after spending an entire day in the kitchen, hyper little boys weren't exactly something I was willing to put up with for the rest of the night. So I turned in early, and let my friends wreck my kitchen at their own discretion. I still didn't understand what exactly made them so hyped up on cooking; they seemed almost twice as eager to get started when I returned from calling their parents. But at this point, I no longer cared enough to ask, and somehow a mysterious fear told me that maybe I didn't _want_ to know why they were running around my kitchen, WILLINGLY wearing the pink frilly aprons and cooking just like a mother would.

Well, this goes without saying, but I almost never got to sleep last night. With all the running around and hysteria going on outside of my room, the paranoia of my own situation stabbing my logic mercilessly… and my nightly requirement of Izumi wet dreams. Did I mention I was pathetic and sad…?

Anyway, the next morning, I finally woke up to smell the most _peculiar_ odor. It wasn't necessarily a bad smell, but it was something I definitely couldn't tell the identity of right off the bat… it was a blend of many things, but the most obvious scent was pure **sucrose**. Now I just HAD to know what in god's name happened in my kitchen whilst I slept.

Cautiously approaching the kitchen, I noted an ominous cloud of smoke emitting from the entrance, and I knew that could mean only one thing: they freaking _fell asleep_!

So I ran, not walked, into the kitchen and immediately turned the oven off, where the source of the smoke was. I wasn't about to look inside at what poor dessert they just fried and wasted in there, but it oddly smelled like… koolaid.

I took a good look at the disaster area my mother (and _not_ me) would be cleaning up later. Tomoki had passed out on the kitchen table, with his knees bucked under it, and he was sleeping over a tray of finished cookies. Kouichi had also fallen victim to sleep, only he was headfirst into the refrigerator, with an empty gallon of milk lingering on his fingers. The milk that used to be in that gallon jug was all over Kouichi but moreso all over the floor. However, Kouji and Takuya **still** seemed to be awake despite it all, but they were so close to passing out it wasn't funny. I walked over to them, for they were both working at the same counter top. 

Takuya was cracking eggs over a bowl… slowly… one egg at a time, until he'd cracked every single egg I owned. His eyes were half-shut, and he utterly looked like a drone. 

I decided to make sure everyone was okay before I went off scolding them for their crappy cleanup routines. "Um, Takuya…?"

Takuya only moaned back in return; a moan that told me he was just about ready to keel over.

Unsure of what exactly to do, I poked him slightly. "You still alive, Takuya?"

Takuya finally looked over to me, and it was just then when I realized how totally _stoned_ he looked. All he could tell me was: "Crack, crack, crack the egg into the bowl…"

Giving up right then and there, I turned to Kouji who wasn't too far away. He was stirring flour into his own bowl, but there were no additional ingredients at all to really _mix_ it with. He looked as equally stoned as Takuya.

"Um, Kouji…? Are you coherent?"

"M-I-X the flower into the bowl," was all I got from Kouji. That's all I _wanted_ to get out of Kouji after that. 

Now it was time for me to survey the damage in my humble kitchen— as I expected, a complete disaster. Splatters of various things on the walls, spilled ingredients, and of course whatever was smoldering in my oven…

Despite the mess, I saw quite a few new delectable delights scattered all over the kitchen too, complete, and for the most part, edible-looking. I was relieved to find that the foods I made by myself were untouched and remained where I originally put them. As quietly as I could, I moved my desserts near to the front door of my house. It was obvious that my friends had a considerably long night; this was a good opportunity to do what I had planned to do since yesterday. True, I didn't accomplish everything I had in mind, but I figured maybe if Izumi DID like these treats, then she wouldn't mind if I made more for her later!

Chances were that Izumi was still sleeping, so this was an excellent time to drop off the goods at her front door. Kind of like a special delivery she never asked for!

After carefully gathering all my food, I started to open the door. But with both of my arms full with fragile desserts, this wasn't exactly an easy task. I was just about able to make it outside, but then…

"… Junpei? You're already up?"

I turned sharply back inside and almost lost a muffin. There I found Tomoki and Kouichi clearly woken up, and staring right at me. 

"Um, I _did_ go to sleep early," I reminded. "You guys look like you pulled an all-nighter, though."

"Yeah," Kouichi said with a yawn. "Kouji and Takuya said that they'd finish up for us when we got tired. Seems they still haven't given up…"

"They're stubborn, aren't they?" Tomoki commented with a laugh. "Not even letting sleep take priority over their cooking."

"Heat up the oven, now we're on a roll…" Takuya slurred, somehow overhearing us, I guess. 

Kouichi looked directly to everything I was holding. "So, where are you planning to go with all that stuff?"

Twitching, my cover in the process of being blown, I shook my head indifferently. "None of your business, okay? I'll be right back."

Kouichi just blinked at me and shrugged. "No need to get defensive, but if you insist. You're forgetting something, though."

What, was he trying to play mental games on me? Junpei does NOT forget about things, especially when they have something to do with Izumi. "Forgetting what?"

"This!" Tomoki exclaimed, holding out the giant homemade chocolate heart I had finished just when everyone barged into my kitchen yesterday. … And now it was official. They ALL knew why I was cooking now. I was utterly screwed.

"Oh… right… silly me…"

Kouichi's usual optimistic face was replaced by a serious one. "Junpei, I know this is probably really embarrassing for you, but you didn't have to go through all this just to hide it from us. It's not like we don't _know_ or anything…"

"We would've understood and left you alone if you just told us right off!" explained Tomoki. "Don't be so hard on yourself, big guy."

"It's nothing I want to necessarily show off to you guys, you know," I said bitterly. "I'll just… get this stuff to Izumi and we can all move on with our lives. Whatever happens, happens. By now I'm prepared for any outcome. Good, or bad."

"Are you sure you can carry all that food by yourself?" Tomoki asked. "Looks kinda hard to carry that all the way to Izumi's."

"I'll manage," I assured, gritting my teeth with impatience. "Just don't worry about me; you should make sure Takuya and Kouji don't destroy my kitchen while they're almost asleep."

Kouichi sighed and shifted in his standing position. "Are you really leaving now?"

Oh, how I hate to be guilt-tripped… "What do you want me to see?"

Kouichi and Tomoki looked at each other and smiled, and then moved back into the body of the kitchen, motioning me to follow. There was no point in hauling all the desserts back in there, so I carefully set them back on the floor where they previously were, and complied.

There, on the table, I saw a cake that _far_ surpassed the cake I had made. In every aspect. It was bigger, better balanced, better decorated, most likely had a more appropriate flavor, and it just… looked godly compared to my crappy little cake. It was hard alone to resist the urges to attack that cake with full force and eat every last crumb… but I had to wonder… how much work did these guys put into it? Were looks deceiving, or was this really the ultimate cake I'd been yearning to create all this time?

Humbly, Kouichi folded his arms behind his back and smiled. "Well… what do you think?"

"It took us forever to make," Tomoki remarked. "But I guess it turned out pretty good, huh?"

I just remained gaping at the cake. "How in the world did you guys pull it off…?"

"Guess you could say we found a whole new purpose to cook after finding that chocolate heart," Kouichi admitted. "It was really Takuya who inspired us to really _try_ to make things when we realized why you were working so hard… we figured it was hard enough of a job for you to pull off alone, so we really wanted to help you."

I rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Excuse me? …You wanted to **help** me?"

Tomoki just looked at me weirdly. "Sure, we're your friends. Why wouldn't we want to help you out on something you really, honestly want?"

Not that I didn't feel bad for not trusting my friends, but… just who were they taking me for, anyway? "Um… hello? The Izumi factor?"

"What about it?" Kouichi asked.

"Oh, like you don't know!" I shouted, pointing accusingly at him. "I understand that Izumi's really popular… I practically don't have a chance with her as it stands already. Why're you helping me out with my cause? Do you just pity me that much?"

Tomoki and Kouichi stared at me as if I was crazy. "Junpei, what in god's name are you talking about?" Kouichi asked after a painful silence.

Jesus, did I have to explain everything? "Your brother, Kouichi! Just how long have Kouji and Takuya been after Izumi, too?"

"Is that what this is all about?" Tomoki asked with a laugh. "Oh man!"

Kouichi was also containing his own laughter. I didn't get why this was so funny, though. "Dude, Junpei, that was like, AGES ago! And it wasn't even serious! What makes you think Takuya and Kouji are _really_ after Izumi?"

I just rolled my eyes. "I was beginning to wonder why one of them hadn't gotten her already. I just assumed she was still picking between the **two** of them…"

"You really need to give yourself more credit," Kouichi advised, letting out a laugh. "Last we checked, Izumi's still entirely available. You guys grew really close over time, too. If anyone's going to be dating her, it's you."

"Guess she'll be staying single, then," I sighed out, looking at everything I made, and then back to the cake my friends had made. "She never reacted well to my come-ons, especially back when we first met. Who's to say she's going to approve of this any more than she did of all my other attempts?"

"Maybe you'll have to just take your chances," Tomoki suggested. "When's the last time you've… um… flirted with her, anyway?"

"It's been a while," I admitted. "Maybe time will help my chances out a bit. But I can't fully rely on it if I intend to succeed at this…"

"That's why we made the cake," Kouichi explained. "It's your trump card. If she hates everything else, which I doubt, you can always use this and win her over easily. And we've taken samples of the cake; you won't be disappointed."

"It's really good!" said Tomoki. "I'm really proud of it."

Once again, I was looking back and forth between their cake and my little crap-cake. I had honestly worked hard on it, but that hardly meant anything, really— I had also worked hard on like seventeen other different things. Eventually my talents were being worn out on each thing I moved on with making. With my cake being one of the later things I made, it truly could've been something better. 

"So you guys want me to use your cake?" I asked them, making sure this was the case. "You really just made this so I could give it to Izumi?"

"We didn't want it any other way," Kouichi assured. "Take it, it's yours."

"And take good care of it!" Tomoki requested.

Something not-right crossed my mind as I moved in to take the cake. It was a pretty hefty cake… it was clear that a lot of work went into it. This cake beat the ass out of my own. Common sense told me to take it and leave my old cake for my friends to eat; for all their labor, they deserved to eat _something_. But something wasn't feeling right in my heart when I lifted their cake… it felt like a lie, a fraud, a falsity… then this simple fact hit me: 

I didn't slave over a hot stove to make this. My **friends** did. 

It might've felt a little different if I actually had something to do with this cake. But the sad truth was, I could've never existed and this cake could've been made all the same. For me, that didn't feel right. It suddenly felt like I WAS doing the same thing Takuya did a long time ago. Obviously, it _wasn't_ the same situation, but the fact remained that Takuya bought sweets that someone else took their time to make and tried to turn them into this shoddy excuse that he simply took the time out of his life to **buy** something for someone.

Money. Powerful, but corruptive. Clearly, no money was involved here except in the gaining of ingredients, but I was doing the exact same scheme as Takuya did by taking this cake: I was turning someone else's hard work into my own, by doing nothing at all.

It was a lie. A boldfaced lie. How the hell was I going to tell Izumi to her face that I sacrificed a whole day out of my life to dedicate this cake to her? How would it help my situation by telling her the truth? The sad thing being, Izumi _really_ deserved this cake more than the one I actually made! So what was I to do? Accept the superior cake and lie to her, or go with my honesty, give her my awful cake, and watch her suffer my cooking just because I loved her? If my poor attempts at charming women didn't immediately turn her off, I'm sure my substandard cooking would do it in a heartbeat. 

"We called it the X-Z cake," Kouichi said with a smile. "Because of the icing decorations. It was a pretty funny idea, because we figured putting a message on the cake would help get the point across quicker. So you might want to give her the cake last." After saying that, he winked.

"See," Tomoki pointed out the writing on the cake for me. "Junpei x Z! Instant love message!"

I can't believe they actually wrote that, nevermind using the _nickname_ I gave Izumi ages back! "Aren't you guys being a little too forward?! That'll probably make her slap me in the face!"

"You can't be vague with your messages if you're really trying to win her over with all this," Kouichi noted. "Trust me, it's the best hope you have. Just take care of that cake for us, okay? It took a good several hours to finish…"

I was silent after that. This was it; I was either going to throw my guilt to the wind and go through with it, or let my conscience take me over and make me do this the hard way. And this was all coming from me, the one who usually chose Head _over_ Heart!

"We believe in you, Junpei," Tomoki told me. "Do your best."

………

"Guys… where did you put the icing?"

Kouichi absent-mindedly pointed into a cupboard. "We stored it all in there with the sugar and spices… why?"

Without a single explanation, I walked past Kouichi and Tomoki, past Takuya and Kouji, who were still working like drunken drones, and approached the top cabinet, where I grabbed some homemade lavender icing and returned to my position, where I turned to my pitiful-as-hell cake.

Tomoki stared intently at me, but honestly looked clueless. "Junpei, what're you doing?"

I didn't answer him; instead, I kneeled down to the level of my cake. Squinting an eye, to make sure I had perfect aim and control, I proceeded to write a message on my own cake. The same one that was illustrated so simply on my friend's cake.

Kouichi sighed and shook his head, as if he didn't like where this was going. "What's up?"

Carefully gathering all of my food in my arms, I rose once again to meet my friends. But this time, I was finally heading for the door. "Kouichi, Tomoki… you and the other guys enjoy that cake of yours. You earned it. …Sorry if I've been kind of rude to you all day yesterday."

Tomoki's face fell. "You're not gonna use our cake…?"

I just gave him a sad smile, trying to let him know that I didn't disapprove of their cake at all. I still _wished_ I could use it… "It's not my cake, you know that. What kind of message would I be giving to Izumi by giving her something you guys worked so hard for? It's your hard labor work of friendship, not mine."

"But we made it _for_ you," Tomoki argued pitifully.

I just bowed my head, trying to show respect. "I can't accept it. Not for the purpose you made it for, anyway."

Kouichi's eyes were directed at the floor. "So… we just wasted our time, didn't we, Junpei?"

I couldn't help but chuckle, oddly. "Don't be ridiculous, Kouichi. You had the right heart for doing this… just the wrong idea to make it for. Sorry, I just don't want to do things the way Takuya did them… I want Izumi to see me for everything I can do for her. It just doesn't make sense to steal things that my friends did…" I was beginning to notice that this explanation was only bringing Tomoki and Kouichi down, so I tried to lighten up a bit. "Hey, how about we all eat that cake together when I get back? Does that sound good?"

Tomoki was instantly cheered up. "Yeah!"

Kouichi managed to look me in the eye again, and he was able to put on a smile. "I think that'll help make up for it, definitely."

"Well, I'll see you then," I said with a sigh, looking to the outside world before me. "I'll be quick…"

And so, I left. It was pretty odd waddling my way to Izumi's house with a ton of sweets in tow, but I knew somehow that this was going to be rewarding. I didn't know how, but SOMEHOW this had to give me some form of good karma.

As it stood, I didn't have the courage to actually deliver the goods face to face. Not to mention it was still early in the morning, so most likely Izumi was still asleep anyway. When I reached the door, I carefully placed all the sweets in an appeasing fashion, like some kind of late Santa Claus came to deliver something for an especially good little girl. Then, I pressed the doorbell once, and hightailed it out of there as fast as I could. 

I'm pretty sure nobody saw me…

I didn't hear anything from Izumi for a while. As promised, I returned home, and once Kouji and Takuya got a sufficient amount of rest, we celebrated our hard work by devouring the giant cake. And as it turns out, looks weren't deceiving this time around; the cake was pretty freaking good. I was impressed at how much my friends' cooking skills improved when they really wanted to focus on making something for a purpose. 

After our grand eating of the cake, everyone quite willingly left my house, and I'm sure I knew why; if she hadn't gotten the sweets earlier when I fled, Izumi surely would've gotten them by now and tested them. By now she'd know what it was all for. And when I'd see her again, she would be aware of all my inner personal feelings I've had for her… and now I had to find out whether or not she was even going to tolerate them anymore.

I spent pretty much the whole day on the kitchen table with the phone right next to me. I assured to my mom that I was absolutely fine, and I was considering this day to be my break where I do absolutely _nothing_. All I'd be doing now is waiting. Waiting for Izumi's feedback. 

However, I didn't get that feedback by phone. Oh, no. 

For some crazy reason, she decided to give it to me _in person_. Around sunset, I found her waiting at my door. She didn't seem mad at all… or overly ecstatic, either. Honestly, she looked pretty casual. Like she probably never even got the desserts. It was hard… but finally I had the courage to actually answer the door.

"Oh… um, Izumi! What a surprise…"

"Hi, Junpei," she greeted me, smiling. "How's it going?"

I slumped, not exactly expecting some type of casual conversation. Maybe she never did get the sweets… "How I'm going? Um… cool, I guess. How about you…?"

"I'm just fine," she said, grinning. "It just occurred to me that I hadn't seen you yet this weekend, and your mom kept saying you weren't available every time I called you. Can I come in?"

"Of course!" I allowed almost immediately, stepping aside to make way for her entrance and automatically flushing red in the face. "Sorry I never called you back! I… um… hey, mom never said you called! I can't believe she didn't tell me!"

"It's fine," Izumi assured me, as she made her way in. "I just wanted to make sure everything's been going okay for you. But I guess you've been really busy."

"Yeah," I said uneasily, looking back at the kitchen from the corner of my eyes. I just realized that my friends and I only partially cleaned the kitchen before they left! And considering the condition of the kitchen before we even started cleaning… I was leaving myself out in the open like this. Regardless of it, Izumi was headed just for that particular area of the house.

"The other guys have been acting funny since yesterday, though," Izumi commented. "Like they're hiding this gigantic secret. Have you noticed that…?"

"Can't… say I have…" even if she _did_ get the sweets and she's just playing around, I had no guts whatsoever to dare bring the topic up. 

"Hm," was Izumi's short response, sounding a bit indifferent. Quietly, she started humming as she explored the kitchen area. "You don't mind me helping myself, right…?"

Okay, it was obvious that she didn't eat anything I made for her. "Go right ahead," I mumbled.

"Thanks," she sounded grateful enough… as she continued to hum and browse through my kitchen, eventually adding words to her hums. "Hm… A-B-C-D-E-F-G… hm-hm, hm-hm, hmhmhm-hmhmhm hm hm…"

"What, did you get stuck watching a lot of kiddy shows today?" I asked her slyly.

"Not really," she said. "Just some funny song I heard from somewhere. Forgot the name… but it was cute. A-B-C-D-E-F-G… what a delicious, delicious sweet confectionery parade…"

I… didn't know what to say. "Um… a song about sweet confectioneries?"

"Pretty much," Izumi cheerfully answered. "It just seemed like an appropriate song to get stuck in my head, considering what happened today."

Huh? "What… happened…?"

Izumi seemed to chuckle to herself as she paused from browsing my kitchen. "There were a lot of desserts at my front door today. My parents are paranoid dietitians, so I was the only one who could eat all of those delicious things…"

This made me gulp. "… _All_ of them?"

"Yeah," she shrugged, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Remember that All-You-Can-Eat contest we both entered in the Digital World? I kicked your butt good." She giggled. "You lousy runner-up."

I remembered that time fondly, I did. "Hey, are you saying second place is a bad thing?" I challenged with a smirk.

"It is when your friend is your superior in the eating department," Izumi said with a snicker. "Those desserts were nothing compared to that contest."

Boy, did that kill the confidence I had going there for me. "So they were bad desserts?"

"On the contrary, they were the best I've had in a while," Izumi admitted, which surprised me. "They didn't look so hot on the outside… it was probably good that they were delivered wrapped, or bugs would've been all over them," she mock-gagged. "But the looks deceived me! I ate every last crumb!"

"… of **everything**?"

"Of everything!"

Wow. And she hadn't even mentioned my straightforward cake yet. Sitting down across from Izumi, I tried my best not to look directly at her. I knew my friend, and I knew she wasn't stupid. She knows who delivered everything. Why she was dragging this conversation out totally eluded me, but I had a feeling she'd bring it up soon enough, along with her opinion on the matter. Part of me wanted to keep this conversation going as long as it could, while the other half just wanted to get this over with. 

"And somehow you didn't turn into the Hindenberg like I did," I said in awe. 

"It's a talent I have," Izumi explained. "Guys don't tend to possess the ability. But don't worry; I'm sure there's lots of advantages of being… um… bigger than the other guys."

Yeah. You get more creative names during a namecalling session. "Yeah, I guess."

"Well, between you and me, I don't care if you stay pudgy all your life or not," she suddenly spoke out. "You're fine just the way you are, Junpei. You may be fatter than the other boys, but all this time you've been more mature than Takuya, Kouji, Kouichi, and Tomoki all put together. And when it all comes down to it, that's all what really matters. What's inside you, and what you're like."

"W-well spoken," I complimented, a little overwhelmed with all this support she was giving me all at once. 

"I'm just regurgitating the facts of life to you," Izumi said, oddly modestly. "I'm sure your parents will do the same for you eventually, if they haven't already."

"Ah, they give me that confidence crap all the time," I assured, but the emotional tension of this was making me VERY nervous. "I listen, yeah… being like this doesn't bother me too much."

"I think it does, a little," Izumi pointed out quietly. "You're just not… really admitting to it."

It felt like she was trying to probe into my psyche, which was very very WEIRD. "What are you getting at, Z?"

"Z," Izumi repeated with a muffled snicker. "I guess the X-Z cake sufficed for there being no X or Z-named foods…"

Yep, my cover was blown. "Oh, crap. Did they _tell_ you…?"

"For the most part, they didn't really need to tell me," Izumi informed. "Well, the X-Z cake, obviously, but everything else I could figure out on my own. Junpei, you don't need to feel so bad about yourself. Just how long were you making all these things? I remembered smelling something peculiar yesterday on the path to your house, and the guys went off to investigate it, but…"

"Look," I interrupted. "Just because I spent my entire day in the kitchen making desserts _just_ for you doesn't mean you had to eat them, accept them, or feel sorry for me. I just…" I sighed, as the words I had in mind were slipping from my memory in an instant. "I just… didn't know else what to do."

Izumi simply smiled at me. "If you've been trying to tell me something for a while, you should've just said it when it first comes to mind. That's the best way to resolve these things. I mean, you're one of my closest friends. There shouldn't be secrets between us!"

"I know, I know," I acknowledged, blushing. "You just… didn't seem to like it when I was doing it for fun, Izumi. I was pretty scared about what you might've thought if you knew I was being serious about it…"

She didn't give me a response. She just rose from her seat, and promptly walked over to me. As for me, I was frozen in my seat. I wouldn't dare to move.

"Well," Izumi finally said. "Junpei, ever since I met you guys, I've learned a lot of lessons about life and how to work with others. I gained a lot from all of you, and out of everyone, I probably gained the most from you." She smiled at me once more. "And I think today, when I got those desserts at my door, I learned the most important lesson of all."

My eyes shrunk into **beads**. "… Which is…?"

Suddenly, her cheerful, calm expressions changed to pained. And with that, she buckled over, and collapsed on my lap. This made me shoot up instantly, almost in a panic.

"Izumi?!"

She looked up to me weakly, retaining her smile, but not looking so much as cheerful as she did incredibly pained. "Never eat 26 desserts all at once," she forced out.

I held her to keep her from falling off me, but more than anything I was freaking out. "Oh crap! I didn't poison you, did I?!"

Izumi shook her hair immediately. "No, no… I just liked your food so much, Junpei. It's okay… I just need to rest for a while, and let my stomach settle…"

"I'm on it," I said with confidence, which honestly came out from nowhere. "I'll let you rest on my bed until you're feeling better, okay? And I don't want you declining my offer."

"That actually sounds like a good idea," Izumi forced out of her mouth. "You've got a TV, right?"

"_And_ digital cable," I added. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you." And, doing the bravest move I've done all day, I picked Izumi up and started freaking **carrying** her to my room. God knows what possessed me to do this, but Izumi didn't look like she was ever going to protest it.

"That's nice to know," she said, relieved. "I knew I'd be paying for it, the way I was eating your stuff, but I couldn't help it; they were the best things ever…"

I just chuckled to myself. "There's no need for exaggerating the truth, you know."

"I'm serious!" she shouted, though softly. "I absolutely loved them…"

"Well… that's… good to know."

"Actually," Izumi added. "I think all this has made me realize that there's only one thing I like more than those desserts, Junpei."

"… and that is…?"

"The cook, of course…!"

Duh, Junpei. Duh… but _score!_

****

[END]


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